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Design007-Jan2018

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78 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2018
Alicia Balonek has seen it all. IPC's
senior director of trade shows and
events joined IPC during the dot-
com bubble, and helped launch
the first IPC APEX EXPO. Edi-
tors Andy Shaughnessy and
P
atty Goldman spoke
with Ali-
cia about IPC APEX EXPO 2018,
what attendees can e
xpect, and
the organization's
continuing efforts
to attract talented young people to this
industry.
Andy Shaughnessy: Alicia, I didn't realize you've
been doing this with IPC for 18 years. I'm sure
you've seen a lot through the years—including
substantial changes.
Alicia Balonek: Well, that's true. I started with IPC
in 1999 and I was part of the launch of APEX
in 2000, so this show is very dear to me and it
was a great opportunity to be involved with a
launch show. There's such a connection to the
show, we've certainly experienced our fair share
of ups and downs but for the most part it's been
an extremely enjoyable experience through the
years. There have been a lot of changes in the
industry, especially on the board side, particu
-
larly in 2004 when IPC Printed Circuits Expo, a
show
produced by IPC since 1994, was co-located
with APEX and IPC APEX EXPO was formed.
Every show is a new experience and we just
seem to keep learning from that, and we do it for
the industry. This is the largest event in North
America for electronics manufacturing and it has
been since its inception. Everything is under one
roof, from one end of the manufacturing process
to the very end of the process, and we're proud
to be able to bring the industry together for this
important event.
Shaughnessy: We're glad it's not in Ana-
heim anymore (laughing).
Balonek: Well, for a show this
size, especially with the extensive
electrical and plumbing require-
ments, there aren't many facili-
ties throughout the country that
can handle this event,
especially
with the long move-in time. We have
almost two million pounds of freight
on the show floor. It's a heavy equipment
show, so not only does it take time to get that
freight onto the show floor, we also must make
sure that we're giving the exhibitors ample time
to calibrate the machinery and their assembly
lines so they're ready before the show begins.
Shaughnessy: I think everyone really likes San
Diego. It's hard to have a bad time here.
Balonek: Especially when you're coming from
the Midwest or the East Coast in February.
Everybody enjoys that warm weather and it is a
great facility. I've been in this industry for a long
time and I've worked in many different conven
-
tion centers, and we have great staff from the
San Diego Conv
ention Center working
with us. I
couldn't ask for a better team. They look forward
to our show every year.
Patty Goldman: So what will be happening this
year?
Balonek: Well, it's not necessarily new, but a
favorite of the event, is the show floor reception
on Tuesday evening which is a great gathering
place for attendees to network with the exhibi
-
tors. We're introducing "Passport to Prizes" this
year and we'll
be giving away an iPad mini, Beats
What to Expect at IPC APEX EXPO 2018:
EXPO Veteran Alicia Balonek Shares
Alicia Balonek
IPC APEX EXPO 2018 PRE-SHOW SPECIAL COVERAGE